tappet shims

Hi all, after years of rebuilding mini's (the old ones) i promised myself another MK1 scirroco. couldnt find one so i bought a Mk 1 cabby instead. Shes in very good condition apart from a couple of things, the first is the tappets which rattle a little when cold. I once heard these could be flipped over which would eliminate the wear from the cam lobe. I would assume that if these are hardened then they would be on both sides. Has anybody any insight please?

if you flip them then surely the wear on them will cause them to not sit right and may be worse, they may also need replacing as if they have worn then your tappet gap wont be right. just go to an engine rebuilders and get some new ones they won't be expensive.